Wine Giques

Bastille Day: An American Homecoming

My friend Paul is something of a recorded music maven.  He seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the stuff -- and he has very, very good taste, to boot.  ("That's all relative," says my kid, who also has good taste, but who tends to focus on the more head-bangerish and hip-hopperish genres.)  Paul also has this interesting idea that you can pair wine and music to marvelous effect.   Since both wine and music seem to stimulate my senses in very positive (and sometimes memorable) ways, I think he's on to something.  He writes a blog about that, and various other things, called Tasting Notes.

When I discovered that Tasting Notes contained a set list of American music for the 4th of July, I was delighted.  You see, I have some friends who were returning from a tour of duty overseas that included a stop in Kuwait (yes, he's a Marine; he left his family in Okinawa while he was in the Middle East), and they arrived with a 3-years-long pent-up hunger for all things American.  While they enjoyed their time in foreign lands, and came to appreciate things like Okinawan beer, tiny painted flowers on their toenails, and women shopping in burkas, what they really wanted when they arrived at our door was a couple of slices of NY-style pizza, a big old piece of medium-rare steak, and used DVD's from Blockbuster.

They arrived on July 14th, which is not quite American Independence Day, but a good French substitute.  (And no, I never called them "Freedom Fries."  Those of you who have forgotten what Lafayette did for us should be ashamed of yourselves.)  We picked them up at the airport, and skedaddled to Wine Giques' SoCal HQ, where all the aforementioned items -- pizza, steak, DVD's -- could be found within walking distance.  They feasted on their chosen bits of Americana, then we all retired to the back deck, where I streamed music from the Tasting Notes set list, and we lit candles, drank wine, and chatted. 

The wine?  Well, in hommage to Lafayette and Bastille Day, we drank French.   2004 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône.  Lovely, full-bodied, silky and plummy; a smooth match for the Cali twilight and the piano stylings of Dick Hyman.  A perfect wine and music pairing, for what proved to be a perfect homecoming for my friends.   Here's to the freedom to drink what you want, and the courage to defend that freedom to the last drop.    

Drink your Vote: Bush holds Fundraiser at Harlan 7/17

My sources tell me that President W Jr is in Napa right now - at Harlan - to raise funds for his party. Which begs the question:
When (and how) should our politics impact our personal choices? Do you drink what you preach?

Dyer Straits Wine Company - 2004 Cabernet

Yeah, I thought that the band had decided to bottle their own juice, too, but the winery is actually owned by someone I've long admired, Dawnine Dyer, and her husband, Bill. Bill and Dawnine are both veterans of the wine industry and both winemakers with individual, storied careers.
I first heard about Dawnine when I was working at another winery who relies on Carneros fruit, Bouchaine Vineyards. Dawnine was the winemaker behind Domaine Chandon at the time, and had been for many years before that. The thing that I love about Dawnine is her modesty, which belies her experience.
Turns out, Bill and Dawnine bought themselves a nice piece of Diamond Mountain some years ago and have been pouring their years of experience into their own project, Dyer Cabernet Sauvignon. They released their 2004 last fall and I just had the opportunity to drink some.
The ribbon of Diamond Mountain terroir runs right through the middle of this wine - lush, blue berries and ollalieberries, leather and cocoa. The thing that I loved the most (besides the promising nose) was the fact that this is a finished wine - it's got all the pieces - beautiful nose, great mouthfeel, velvety smooth mid-palate, and long texture. The wine has structure without being too big and unwieldy.
DO YOU THINK I LIKED THIS WINE? I did. And, I am not a huge fan of California Cabernet - there, I said it.

If you want some - and you should - you will need to sign up for their list at Dyerwine.com

Wine under $3!!!

All of my friends know I am a little bit of a snob - I can't even remember if I gave two buck chuck a fair shake - if a wine is too cheap it's probably not worth drinking, or so I thought. When I was living in Atlanta, and not getting a regular wine allowance, I was always on the lookout for wines under $10 but they were usually from Chile or France or Spain. These days I am back in the land of $40 bottles and more depending on what it is you want to whet your whistle with.
So, this is how I came to drink a cheap bottle of wine - and liked it!

A couple of girlfriends came over with two pounds of shrimp, some Armenian flat bread, and a couple of spreads, one cilantro and one eggplant. We were ready to have ourselves a little feast. They knew I could supply the wine - I always have wine - but on this day, I realized that I had just enjoyed my last bottle of crisp Pinot Grigio, didn't have any Riesling, the Sinskey Vin Gris was gone, too. However, I found a bottle of white in the fridge that I thought maybe my husband had brought home (he had bought it to go into my Bolognese). So, without thinking, we drank that.

The 2006 Jepson Sauvignon Blanc from Mendocino has the lime and grapefruit flavors that one would expect from California Sauvignon blanc, it is a bit rounder in the mouth than my favorites from New Zealand and it is a bit to the left on the acidity scale but it was very quaffable and went great with the grilled shrimp and lentil flat bread. When I found out that it was $2.99 a bottle at Trader Joe's, I went back and bought a case.That's less than $36 for a case of wine!!

Gary V at the Inertia Direct Symposium

Gary Vaynerchuk spoke at Inertia's Direct Symposium last Friday - part of a Customer Appreciation weekend that included a party and golf.
First. let me say that we LOVE Gary here at Wine Giques headquarters. In fact, I made the mistake of thinking that Pierce Carson was looking for Gary V when he was looking for Gary McGuire. My BAD. But, Gary V, being the magnanimous person that he is - well, he thought he had reached OPRAH status. Gary, with me you definitely have.
Okay - enough massaging of egos and small talk. If you have not heard Gary speak in public, you have not been to church.
As any Vayniac (followers of Gary) knows, Gary brings the THUNDER. He admonishes and chides but offers encouragement and redemption. He is inspirational in a way that only believers (and good speakers) can be. Most of all, Gary is the real deal. He practices what he preaches. Oh... and he never sleeps.
Thanks, Gary, I am starting my week renewed.

SoloRosa Napa Valley Rose 2007

I need to add to Angela's list of Rose's that Real Men should be drinking in the middle of summer. This one was a surprise for me, really, since I have been a bit standoffish due to some arrogance coming from the direction of the Vintner's of this brand (one of the unfortunate sides of testosterone). I can't believe that I am saying this, but with the 2007 vintage, these guys have something to be puffed up about.

The wine has a beautiful, starbright, watermelon hue and is chock full of mouth-filling fruitiness: Ranier cherries, watermelon,raspberries, and orange peel. I think this wine is just fabulous - I am going to drink it all by itself but I also think it would be worthy of some grilled salmon or chicken.

Buy the 2007 SoloRosa Napa Valley Rose at SoloRosa's site for just $17 a bottle! Tell 'em Suenarita sent ya.

Rosé Survey (Or Real Men Drink Pink)

I was chatting with a handsome man at an event the other night (one of my favorite things to do, actually), when I mentioned that I write a wine blog.  "What kind of wine do you like?" he asked.  "All kinds," I answered thoughtfully.  "Although when it's blazing hot like this, you'll usually find me drinking rosé."  He made a face at me.  "I'm a Bordeaux guy," he said. 

And that, gentle readers, is why more women should be writing wine blogs.  We seem to have a little more common sense sometimes, when it comes to choosing what to drink. 

When it's 102º in the shade (or for my Canadian friends, 39º and Bob's your uncle), do you really want to be reaching for something big, red and tannic?  Something that puts your tongue in a little fur coat when it should be airing itself in a tiny bikini? 

Of course not.  You want something crisp and refreshing, something that helps you dab the sweat from your brow (or for we ladies, the glow:  ladies do not sweat), something that reminds you of days on the French seashore and that little frisson you got every time you saw that handsome French guy/beautiful French girl in the pâtisserie. 

That handsome French guy with a little glass of pink wine, BTW. 

Here's a list of our favorites.  Put some in the fridge.  And if you're a boy, show your lady friends (or your guy friends -- hell, at Wine Giques Headquarters we're all one big wine-lovin' family) that you're totally capable of reaching beyond the Bordeaux.  You may even get a little extra special thanks for it, if you know what I mean.

2007 La Playa Cabernet Rosé.  It's $9 a bottle.  Don't argue, just buy it.
2007 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare.  $15.  From the doyenne of the Rhône Rangers, Randall Grahm.  One of my personal heroes.  I'm a Rhône girl, myself: so much more adventurous than the Bordeaux crowd.
2006 Gabbiano Rosato Toscana. $9.  Also a great price, and a wine that decidedly reminds ME of a certain handsome man, but I'll say no more.
Chandon Blanc de Noirs NV.  $15-22.  It's always handy to have a bit of bubbly hanging around, just in case a special occasion pops up, like, say, it's Tuesday. 
2007 Lucia Vineyards "Lucy" Pinot Rosé.  $18.  $1 from each bottle sold goes to breast cancer research; if you're a boob man, pick this one.   

As always, you can use the Snooth toolbar on the right to find these wines in your area.  If you need help coordinating your shirt and shoes, please email us at Wine Giques Headquarters.  Always happy to be of service. 

Photo courtesy of cglosil, via Flickr. 

Camp Parched

We lived for a time in the lovely seaside town of Carlsbad.  It's a beautiful place--except, of course, during the actual summer, when it's fogged-in and cold.  But they don't tell you that, in the brochures.  To the rest of the world, it's sunny and bucolic all the time in North San Diego County.

Bucolic is right.  For this girl, coming as she did from the food-wine-and-high-tech culture of the Bay Area, Carlsbad was like stepping into an episode of the Andy Griffith Show.  It was a wonderful place for my kid -- a mile from the beach, walk to the neighborhood school, friends all around, season pass to Legoland.  For me, it was tantamount to purgatory.  What, no Peet's?  A 25-minute drive to Whole Foods?  The electrican (who was 60 years old and hailed from Queens, BTW) who decided to take the day off because the surf was kickin' it?  Good God, where am I and what have I done?

But then I met Jooles.  Jooles and her husband Tony lived around the corner.  Their child is the same age as mine.  I met her at that neighborhood school one day, when she made a smart-ass comment about something the PTA was doing.  "I like this chick," I thought. 

And that's when I was invited to join Camp Parched.  See, Jooles is the creator and head counselor of the Camp, which is kind of like a party club for grown-ups.  We all have titles.  (I think I'm some version of the social director and possible handsome-man-wrangler.  The "chief sommelier" title was already taken.)  The only stated function of Camp Parched is to consume cocktails and have a good time.

Once or twice a week, down there in Carlsbad, my phone would ring.  "Are you parched?" asked the voice at the other end.  "Yes, I'm dreadfully, dreadfully parched," I would reply.  I'd hang up, gather my assorted libations, find the child, and head down the street for another meeting.

The meetings are not confined to headquarters, BTW.  We've had a number of them up at Mammoth, where we stay in a WPA-era cabin in the woods that's been in Tony's family for years. We pack the place with people and dogs:  I think our record is 15 humans and 7 canines.  There's one indoor bathroom, BTW, and an outhouse (the dogs care about neither of those things -- they prefer swimming in the cold creek out back).   We hold Camp Parched meetings outside, where we sip "Wild Bloodies" --outdoor Bloody Mary's-- on those days when we're not hoisting brews at the bottom of the slopes.  Back on the coast, we've had a few meetings on chilly nights on the beach, where we toast marshmallows over a raging bonfire and sip from hidden flasks, lest the Beach Patrol want in on the party.  We've had a few emergency meetings as well, generally gathered around a table, to discuss an illness or a divorce, or even a death.  Where we raise a glass, and a wish, for those who might just need a friendly voice or a warm thought to get them through the evening.

Jooles and I had an informal meeting this week, when she came to visit me in my home far away from headquarters, in the hinterlands of Los Angeles.  Although we didn't consume any "wild" beverages on the streets of Hancock Park, we did enjoy a big bowl of pesto-laden homemade pasta, and a lovely fresh peach cobbler for dessert.  Jooles is partial to wine with Spanish origins, so she brought a bottle of Calina 2006 Reserva Carménere, which is made in Chile by a winery that is actually owned by Kendall-Jackson.  Carménere is a French grape that was "rediscovered" by the Chileans, who have now claimed it as their own.  Velvety and fruity, robust and tannic, it holds up well to things like garlicky pesto and quips about the PTA.  For a little something extra, I hauled out a bottle of 2006 Bitch Australian Grenache.  For a description, please buy some and read the back label.  Actually, the label is so eloquent, we're thinking of making it the Official Red Wine of Camp Parched.  The wine is delicious, BTW.

So, I grew to love Carlsbad, after a fashion, but mostly I grew to love Jooles, who proved to me that friends are everywhere, even when you think you're in purgatory.  You just have to be brave enough -- and sometimes, perhaps, just tipsy enough --to let them in.

Jooles' latest endeavor, BTW, is ukele lessons.  She and Tony are heading to Mammoth in a few weeks, where she assured me she will sit in the woods, sip a Wild Bloody, and play a few tunes for all the folks, like me, who are missing the midsummer meeting of Camp Parched.

"You Wanna Mack Some Girls"

Heh.  Guess that's what happens when you pair two social media luminaries -- Kevin Rose of Digg and Gary Vaynerchuk of WineLibraryTV -- for an online video wine tasting.  Mack away, boys.  Call me if you need some pointers on the macking.  (Courtesy of Mahalo Daily.)

Iron Man and the hungry cats.

I think I'm constitutionally unable to enjoy a movie unless I have a bucket of popcorn.   Never mind that I've usually downed most of it before the previews are even over: it's a part of the movie-going experience, as essential as the underage ticket-takers and the $4.00 drinks.  I love movie popcorn so much that I own a Whirlypop, a stove-top hand-cranked popcorn popper so good that, once you try it, you'll swear off the microwave dross forever. 

My favorite place for movie popcorn--and coincidentally, movies--is the Arclight in Hollywood.  They  make an awesome bucket of corn, sell only reserved seats, and have a couple of theaters with a bar where you can cozy up to a cocktail while viewing your film.  My kind of movie joint.  But my favorite thing about the Arclight is its location:  right across the street from the hungry cat.

The hungry cat (deliberately lowercase) is a restaurant owned by the husband-and-wife team behind Lucques and A.O.C., a pair of legendary LA restaurants.  The hungry cat is their foray into fresh seafood and even fresher cocktails.  It was originally a tiny joint, but has happily been expanded, although it's still impossible to get a table on a Friday or Saturday night (go anyway -- just sit at the bar).

Pumped from two hours of watching Iron Man (for some insight into the technology behind the Man, please visit my other blog, Digital Spritz), my friend and I sprinted over to the cat and parked ourselves at the bar.  Cocktails ensued, made from fresh fruit infusions stored in glittering bottles over our heads.  My choice was the Echo Park, made from vodka, lime juice, muddled mango and cucumber, and a bit of chili salt.  First sip, and I forgot about the movie popcorn (although for some reason, the image of Robert Downey Junior's buff pecs hung with me for a while).   But that was only the beginning.  We still needed to move on to the food:  a classic market salad with crumbled egg; tuna tartare with cilantro and a bit of radish salad; grilled California sea bass with morel mushrooms and greens topping homemade pasta; softshell crab cooked with 26 Chinese spices on a mound of sweet, sweet forbidden rice.  (We had to reserve the entrees when we were ordering, as they were specials and going fast.  We also had to hide them from our neighboring diners, who were eyeing them greedily.) 

But wait:  there's more.  After the cocktails, we moved on to wine.  The winner:  2007 Auratus Alvarinho-Trajadura.   Not knowing much about Portuguese wine, and feeling quite brave with vodka, I ventured into this one, noting the resemblance between the words "Alvarinho" and "Albariño."   (When I do my next Wine Crawl post, you'll learn all about Albariño, which is a Spanish varietal known for its friendliness to seafood.)  My choice was a wise one:  it was perfect with both the sea bass and the spicy crab.  The hint of Trajadura in the blend gave a bit of roundness and body to the wine, nicely balancing the crispness and acidity of the Alvarinho.  And at a retail price of $19, it's a wine worth keeping around.  De nada, amigo.

As for the cat, my friend and I took our time, indulged our senses, and came away sated and happy, as if we'd had the place to ourselves.  Which is how great service makes you feel, even on a busy Saturday night.  Out on the street, Hollywood was just starting to rock, and the lights were bright at our next destination, Amoeba Records, where we went to shop for--what else?--movie soundtracks and cocktail music.